Boy with cancer throws opening pitch on dream mound
15:22 JST, August 29, 2022
Kanta Utsunomiya, 11, who joined the Chiba Lotte Marines through a charity that supports children undergoing medical long-term treatment, threw out the first pitch before a game against the Tohoku Rakuten Eagles at Zozo Marine Stadium in Chiba on Sunday.
Utsunomiya, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was 4 years old and is still undergoing treatment, joined the team in June through the NPO Being ALIVE Japan. He took to the mound in a uniform with the number 10 on the back and threw a no-bounce pitch.
“I was nervous the whole time and my hands were shaking, but I was able to throw the pitch on the fly because I practiced a lot for today,” he said.
"Sports" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Shohei Ohtani Won’t Pitch in the World Series, but That’s Not Slowing Ohtanimania
-
Yokohama DeNA BayStars Capture 1st Japan Series Title in 26 Years (Update 1)
-
World Series Champion Dodgers Have Eye on Back-to-back Titles with Shohei Ohtani Returning to Mound in 2025
-
Shohei Ohtani Set to Play for Dodgers in Game 3 of World Series Following Shoulder Injury
-
Tom Brady’s Purchase of a Minority Stake in the Las Vegas Raiders Is Approved by NFL Team Owners
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Streaming Services Boost Anime Popularity Overseas; Former ‘Geeky’ Interest More Beloved Among Gen Z than 3 Major U.S. Sports
- G20 Sees Soft Landing for Global Economy; Leaders Pledge to Resist Protectionism as Trump Calls for Imported Goods Flat Tariff
- Japanese Automakers Team Up on Software Development; Aim to Compete with U.S., China in SDV Market
- 2024 POLLS: Ruling Camp Likely to Win Lower House Majority
- Chinese Social Media Still Full of Anti-Japanese Posts 1 Month After Boy’s Fatal Stabbing; Malicious Videos Gain Large Number of Views